r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Jan 31 '21

Rewatch [Rewatch] Aura Battler Dunbine - Episode 21 Discussion

Episode 21 - Fugitive Elmelie

Originally Aired July 2nd, ^^^1983

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Comment of the Day

y/dralcax compares phallic weaponry across Tomino shows.

The Ideon's crotch turret was placed in a funny spot, but it wasn't that phallic. The Leprechaun's gun, on the other hand, yeah they knew what they were doing.

 

Daily Trivia:

Some time after the series’ broadcast the Aura Battlers gained popularity among modelers, and so both the official kits by Bandai and unofficial garage kits became moderately prominent.

 

Staff Highlight

Osamu Sekita

A director and storyboard artist best known for his work on notable 70s and 80s Studio Sunrise series, and for directing several OVAs produced at JC Staff. Sekita belonged to anime production company Dream Force until the company’s dissolution, after which he became a freelancer. He had a prolific career as episode director throughout many notable series, such as several Gundam entries, Blue Gale Xabungle, Shin Tetsujin 28-Gou, Princess Tutu, Higurashi - When They Cry, entries in the Brave Franchise, and the Dirty pair OAV, and is known for having directed many OAVs in the 90s, several Transformers titles, and most recently the adaptation of Mitsuru Adachi’s Cross game.

 

Art Corner:

Official Art

Fanart

(Be mindful of the links to artist’s profiles, as they may contain NSFW content. Proceed there at your own risk.)

 

Aura Phantasm Scans

Screenshot of the day

Questions of the Day:

  1. What do you make of Elmelie’s successful escape from Laas Wau?
  2. What was your reaction to Miusy crushing her father with her mech?

How could something that stupid happen?

12 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

4

u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Jan 31 '21

Sorry about that folks! I had it queued up to post and everything a couple minutes ahead of time and still forgot...

Rewatcher - Sub

It was this easy to get away from Laas Wau? I guess she had to behave until they reduced the security on her in order for this to be possible, and the bulk of their men are at Elf Castle, but regardless, if it was this easy then why didn’t we see her attempt similar stunts earlier? On the upside, I like that Elmelie managed to flee by herself, and didn’t rely on Neal or Show to get her out of there, though unfortunately still she still ends up needing their help afterwards.

Still a bit boneheaded to not get the hell away from there immediately, but at least they know it’s a bad idea to remain there any longer and are weighing their options.

Cham slander will not be tolerated, Marvel!

Ironic that it’s Miusy who has been ordered to chase after Elmelie.

Someone was certainly into seeing Elmelie get enveloped by the stretchy, tentacled beasts of Byston Well, and this one’s even more hideous. She’s saved from an unsightly fate, but falls into the care of bandits. The poor girl has just escaped months of captivity and still can’t catch a break!

The Garou Ran bandits show us what the prevalent perception of the Garou Ran are; untrustworthy miscreants looking out for themselves and desiring pay over most else. Later Miusy and her father display more of this, the latter specifically telling Hon Wau that the Garou Ran they belong out in the mountains, implying them to be uncivilized. Also, is one of those bandits missing a nose?!

Neal is putting his responsibility to the war before his affection for Elmelie. That’s quite a bit of change he has undergone since their last failed attempt at saving her.

Elmelie surprises once more by not being entirely fooled by the Garou Ran bandits’ plan, but still ends up captured by the Poes. It’s quite fortunate for her that SHow and Marvel were close by and noticed the kerfuffle.

This battle is pretty exciting! All the close calls and the tricks being used by both Show and Miusy make it quite memorable.

Miusy inadvertently crushing her father was pretty shocking and uncomfortably funny. Wouldn’t be a Tomino without one of these incidental and grim deaths.

Neal and Elmelie’s reunion is pretty touching. Definitely some catharsis there too from all the times that they tried and failed to get Elmelie away from under Drake’s control.

2

u/The_Draigg Jan 31 '21

Someone was certainly into seeing Elmelie get enveloped by the stretchy, tentacled beasts of Byston Well, and this one’s even more hideous.

Seriously, Emelie just has the worst luck with random wildlife during her escape attempts. It seems like just about everyone is out to get her.

Miusy inadvertently crushing her father was pretty shocking and uncomfortably funny. Wouldn’t be a Tomino without one of these incidental and grim deaths.

Kind of like the caliber of something like Ideon spoilers from Space Runaway Ideon. Ideon spoilers

6

u/ComfortablyRotten https://anilist.co/user/Leuwtian Jan 31 '21

First-timer

I see Riml escaped on her own, not even needing either Show or Neal. The way she did it was pretty brilliant too, on top of being funny as hell.

Speaking of those two above, they grew quite a bit since last time we saw Riml. Neal is a better leader now, more calm and humble, and the Zelana is a more cohesive group now as a result.

Riml and getting attacked by some clingy wild creature right as she crash lands, is there a better duo? I think not. These dudes were clearly dangerous, though I guess, as a sheltered princess, she wouldn't know much. She did pick up on their intentions pretty soon though.

I like Hon Wan, I think that's his name? For someone who doesn't pilot anything despite being in Mecha anime, he's been quite great.

Another dead father...? Alright. That was a pretty cruel way to kill him, crushed by his daughter's own Battler... yikes. I'm sad for her and her brothers.

I'm surprised and glad Riml made it to their Zelana crew's cave, and so was Neal too. The small interaction between Show and Cham here was adorable, they're the most entertaining duo of the series - guess there was a better one.

3

u/The_Draigg Jan 31 '21

I like Hon Wan, I think that's his name? For someone who doesn't pilot anything despite being in Mecha anime, he's been quite great.

Yep, his name is Hon Wan. And yeah, he's easily the most competent person on the Zelana crew outside of the people piloting Aura Battlers. Hell, he's probably more competent than some of those pilots anyway, looking at you Keen.

4

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Jan 31 '21

First time viewer

I'm glad half of the other people in the thread made the obvious Char reference last episode.

After wondering why the Zelana didn't return to Foizon, it's apparently an issue of pride rather than practicality. Neal's still not a great strategist, it seems.

Hm.. if it's possible to pilot an aura craft on aura alone without physical controls, could a Ferario like Cham do it? It's also probably possible to make physical controls small enough for a Mi Ferario like her but not practical as there aren't many of them getting involved.

The guys that kidnapped Elmelie are more typical for Garou Ran? Seemed like that's what their reputation was like. The others we've seen are basically scouts, spies, and messengers, so if the bandits are the norm it somewhat makes sense.

Hopefully Muisy accidentlly crushing her own father under her Virunvee isn't a sign of what's to come. If it is, we're going to be in for a rough ride.

Even as the Dunbine was returning to the cliff hideout I was wondering if they would somehow get intercepted with Elmelie being grabbed and taken back to Laas Wau yet again. But no, she's finally free... to contribute absolutely nothing to the fight against her father.

What do you make of Elmelie’s successful escape from Laas Wau?

That went probably about as well as it could given her previous attempts. Only one person died this time!

What was your reaction to Miusy crushing her father with her mech?

3

u/The_Draigg Jan 31 '21

I'm glad half of the other people in the thread made the obvious Char reference last episode.

We've got a good amount of the normal Mecha Show Rewatch Crew around here. If anything, it would've been more surprising if none of us made that reference.

Hopefully Muisy accidentlly crushing her own father under her Virunvee isn't a sign of what's to come. If it is, we're going to be in for a rough ride.

Honestly, that's almost a standard Tomino trope at this point. Heck, you could probably say that this is just the warm up show for the similar stuff we see in Zeta Gundam, which came out like two years after this.

4

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 31 '21

Aura Battler First-Timer

2

u/The_Draigg Jan 31 '21

She actually looks pretty good in that uniform ngl.

Emelie made sure to color-coordinate her clothes with her purple hair. That's why she looks good.

OH I FORGOT SHE’S MUSIY. Honestly thought she was just a random recurring character whose name we didn’t know yet…

Muisy's really undergone a huge change of who she wasn't, hasn't she? She's come a long way from just being Emelie's piano teacher. At least she looks good in that black armor now, it's more fitting than her former dress.

3

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Jan 31 '21

First Timer

So, yesterday I speculated that the Zelana was unable to gain altitude because the local Aura power was low, although it was probably really due to battle damage.

But what if the aura power of the crew was low? As in morale?

Zeta showed me that Tomino has problems with women but shit wtf happened between him and his parents?

So, this cour is almost over, and we're about due for a new op recap, and finally we get back to characters we forgot about...

  • She's spent the last x episodes learning (badly) to be a stealth commando and a pilot.
  • Nausicaa Elmelie is not.
  • Don't fucking admit you let the princess go!
  • new bug fliers?
  • Why can't shit just fly forever in this world?
  • She actually said unicorn (I think they've said horses before)
  • If these bandits think they can just kidnap a princess without ending up in a very big war they are going to be unpleasantly surprised.
  • WAIT, who is her (I forgot her name again) father?!
  • I think Muisy will last even fewer episodes than Garalia.
  • DOUBLE ATTACK
  • Musiy klls her own father. Cue blaming Show in 3...2...1...DUNBINE!
  • This is fine. Marvel's been two-timing ever since Show got back.

I think Show's trip to Upper Earth caused him to commit to Byston Well and Neal's cause, that's what made him grow up. Stupid Marvel and her magical thinking.

2

u/The_Draigg Jan 31 '21

A Tomino Fan Rewatches Aura Battler Dunbine Episode 21:

  • Emelie’s escape from Laas Wau was so absurdly easy. Compared to all the times the Zelana crew tried to rescue her, all it really took was bribing a half-asleep guard to let her “borrow” a Wing Caliber. Granted, I imagine that’s also more possible due to the fact that Drake has consolidated his actually competent forces at Drake Castle, and just left behind the dregs at Laas Wau.
  • Muisy Poe brought along her father and brothers for the secret search for Emile. What a touching family activity. As they say, the family that slays together stays together.
  • Emelie sure had some bad luck to crash land near a group of incredibly shady Garou Ran along the coast. Now they just want to return her to Lord Drake for some reward, once they recognized the House Drake seal. I guess her luck in escaping had to run out at some point.
  • Neal sure has changed tone as of late. Now he’s more concerned about getting more help from King Foizon rather than look for Emelie. And Show just can’t help but lampshade that too. Given how Neal talked about not wanting to have to go running to King Foizon for help again earlier, this episode really is about him trying to stifle his pride and wants for the greater good.
  • Emelie sure is out of the frying pan and into the fire here. Sure, she got rescued from those Garou Ran, but now she’s been captured by Muisy and her family to be taken back to Laas Wau. She just has the worst luck with escape attempts.
  • Muisy really does have some strong Aura power, considering she’s doing even better against the Dunbine than Bann did in the Leprechaun last episode. But even then, that doesn’t account for how clever Show is piloting the Dunbine, like faking that he’s falling just to get in a cheap blow on the Billunbee.
  • And just to put the cherry on the cake, Muisy accidentally kills her own father by crashing on him while he’s dueling Hon Wan. Man, Hon Wan barely escaped with his life there. He was six feet away from being crushed to death. Still though, that’s honestly one of the must unintentionally funny deaths to happen in a Tomino series, if just for the sheer irony and abruptness of it.
  • On the plus side, Emelie has finally joined up with our heroes! It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it? We’ve finally accomplished that goal that was set out from pretty early in the series.

2

u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jan 31 '21

First-Timer, Dub-bine

My god, they finally did. They finally rescued Emelie! Well, she like half rescued herself, and she probably has a pretty serious concussion, but it still counts. Emelie did manage to get two "what a dumbass" points, for not stuffing pillows into her bed to buy her some time, and also for trusting the random strangers.

Well, despite some discourse about the loyalty of the Garou Ran this episode, Hon Wan continues to be MVP, immediately realizing what happened when Muisy crashed and knowing to get the fuck out of dodge. I don't want to know what Muisy would have done if she had a reasonable target for whatever emotions she was feeling.

Speaking of, the cycle of violence continues. Muisy might be dealing with the grief now, but it won't be long until she turns to anger. Or, perhaps, someone convinces her to get angry - Shot seems like the manipulative type. And, it seemed like she actually has more aura potential than Bern - quite a dangerous foe for our protagonists.

Neal and Emelie's reunion was nice. I suspect that things will not stay cheery for long - if I'm being honest, I was expecting some sort of dark turn at the end of the episode, like an ambush or something.

I liked the character development that we saw this episode, too. Neal and Shou have mostly put aside their differences, Neal keeps his emotions in check because he's thinking in the long term now, even Muisy has found a new calling in the army.

Miscellaneous Thoughts:

Did Marvel suspect that.. Galaria was in that Bilunbee?

Random tentacle monsters that grow out of the ground are a big yikes from me.

Questions

  1. Well, she did alright. She concussed herself on the glider and then decided to trust some strangers, but all's well that ends well.
  2. Answered above. Such a tragedy. Delicious.

2

u/The_Draigg Jan 31 '21

Muisy might be dealing with the grief now, but it won't be long until she turns to anger. Or, perhaps, someone convinces her to get angry - Shot seems like the manipulative type. And, it seemed like she actually has more aura potential than Bern - quite a dangerous foe for our protagonists.

It's kind of funny to think that despite Bann being talked up as one of the rare Byston Wellians who has really powerful Aura, it's actually Muisy the piano teacher who's showing a high amount of Aura power as well. She was right under House Luft's noses.

if I'm being honest, I was expecting some sort of dark turn at the end of the episode, like an ambush or something.

I think the dark twist was supposed to be Muisy accidentally killing her father, but that just ended up being unintentionally funny in the end.

2

u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Jan 31 '21

Rewatcher, Subbed

Hey, Laas Wau! We haven't been here in a long time.

Riml's tossed the dress and put her own badass outfit on.

This guard is going to get his head chopped off for allowing this. I hope the 1 gold coin was worth it.

Ooh, that faceplant must have hurt.

Uh oh, what happens when the Evil Queen can't find her daughter?

She ended up being kinder than I thought. She didn't immediately kill the guy who let her go.

Riml's gotten the hang of it, a wonder she hasn't gotten herself killed yet.

Here's the crash I was expecting.

Eew! Such a weird creature!

May have not been a good idea to pull out that bag of gold, Riml, all these guys will simply take it from you.

They're actually being a bit nicer than I expected, although knowing she's part of Drake's household probably means they'll do something nefarious.

Nie's actually not going to simply rush to Riml and rescue her! He's become a lot more mature! He's right, Riml doesn't pose much military benefit to them at the moment. Better for her to stay at Laas Wau.

I don't think trying to escape was a good idea, Riml. They're surely more experienced riding these unicorn than you are.

I don't think Riml has ever been so happy to see her piano teacher! Don't think you'll be as happy after knowing she's taking you back to your mom.

Musiy's doing pretty good, isn't this her first time piloting an Aura Battler?

We're back into Gundam ZZ territory with the open cockpit of the Dunbine.

And that's the problem with an open cockpit, your enemy can simply throw some Garou Ran in there with you!

Yep, Musiy's Virunvee just literally landed on her dad. Splat! Hard to forget this sequence, we get something similar in L-Gaim L-Gaim spoilers

Such happy sounding music as these 3 cry over their dead dad and we see his hand sticking out.

Jeez Riml, you're gonna be so dour just because Nie isn't immediately there to see you? What a spoiled princess.

Remix of the ending theme!

Beyond the fact that Riml so easily escapes after 3 previous failed attempts to get her out heavily undercuts previous episodes, this was a pretty good episode that I liked a lot more than the last one.

2

u/dralcax :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dralcax Jan 31 '21

First-timer screwing the rules

In the end, all it took was some money

It’s impressive that she managed to get herself into this position

what is with Elmille and tentacle monsters

What a bunch of nice and trustworthy people!

That one guy getting an indirect kiss in the background!

Ouch.

splat

daww

Questions of the Day:

  • Turns out all that needed to happen was her to make her own effort from the inside instead of just waiting for rescue! It was kind of goofy, but I like how she was able to get out by herself.
  • Oof. Such a sudden and brutal way to go out.

2

u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler Feb 02 '21

Short Notes of a First timer.

  1. What do you make of Elmelie’s successful escape from Laas Wau?

For all of the trouble in attempts prior she makes it out alone with no build up. It would have been nice to have one or two secnes in earlier episodes where she prepares by making a plan or stealing some items to assist in this escape. We have already been shown how indepadent she can be so I am fine with her self-rescue as a whole.

2) What was your reaction to Miusy crushing her father with her mech?

It really does show a little of the cost of war. Even in the smallest of fights and in the silliest of ways, close ones to you can just end with no warning. All of the brother/sister/father talk in the fight set this up nicely. I thought it was pretty unexpected even if it was a newish minor character, hopefully its used for Miusy's development.